


Guide Squared

by Travelin (pohlin)



Category: N.C.I.S, N.C.I.S/The Sentinel, The Sentinel, slash fiction - Fandom
Genre: M/M, None - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-06
Updated: 2014-02-06
Packaged: 2018-01-11 08:16:54
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 13,101
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1170784
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pohlin/pseuds/Travelin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Fandom(s): Sentinel x-over NCIS</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> First time writing with NCIS characters...be kind. Not beta'd. All errors are mine! Feedback welcome and encouraged--on or offline (between the *** is memory recall)

 

Guide Squared by Travelin

Summary: There was a guide for Jim before Blair

 

Acknowledgments: Thanks to KSL for encouraging me to try this crossover Submitted through the [SenseXangstRevisited](http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SenseXangstRevisited) mailing list.

  
 **Published:** 01/22/07

 **Updated:** 05/03/07

 

* * *

  
 

'JJ, I have to call in the favor. Come to DC as soon as you can. LJ'

Jim looked again at the brief message he received in the email. He owed the man, he knew that. He also knew that he had to go to DC and find out what he needed. He walked over to Simon's office. Time was on his side there. No outstanding cases pending and he had the vacation time stored. There was no reason for Simon not to grant him the vacation time. He could only hope that his guide and lover would be able to take the trip with him.

The detective knocked on the door and waited to hear the response from the police captain.

"Enter." Simon extended the pot of coffee he held to Jim. "Coffee?"

"Thanks, but no. What is this flavor? Smells like," the sentinel paused, his nose wrinkling, "burnt wood. Simon, there must be some other flavor you could brew besides that."

"I'll have you know this is the latest fashion in the best coffee houses in Cascade. Why.."

"Exactly, why do you let that even near your nose?"

"You may have an enhanced sense of smell, but you have absolutely no sense of ... " Simon looked up at the grinning detective to realize the man had been pulling his leg. "Okay, you did not come here to discuss coffee, that's plain to see. What's up Jim?

"I need to take some time off, immediately." The detective leaned against the desk. "It's important Simon."

"I'll ask again. What's up?"

"It's personal Simon. Goes back to my time in the service. I, ah, I just need the time off, Simon. I know I have..."

"Jim, it's fine. You're right, you do have the time. Go ahead. What do you need? Week, two?"

"Can we leave it open ended Simon? I don't know exactly what I'm going to be doing. Just know I have to go. I'm taking Sandburg with me, if he can get away from school."

"Now there's a surprise," he responded with a chuckle. "Sandburg is like an appendage to you. Of course he is going to travel with you!"

Jim turned his head and looked out the window. He was sad that none of their friends knew that their relationship had moved to an intimate level. Blair was the other half of his soul, the other half of his heart.

Simon saw his friend stare out the window, hopefully deep in thought and not lost in a zone out. "Jim," he asked tentatively.

The sentinel returned his focus to his captain. "Yeah, Simon, just thinking. But, I guess you're right. Bl..Sandburg is like an appendage at times. But, I don't mind. He's a good friend. Knows more about me than I do at times. Anyway, I'll see if he can make it too. I may need him," Jim paused, "you know, as my guide."

"Go on Jim. Go get the kid. Ask Rhonda to make whatever arrangements you need."

"Thanks Simon. You're a good friend." They shook hands then Jim turned and left the office.

Knowing the sentinel could hear him, "You are too, my friend, you are too."

The sentinel smiled as he walked over to ask Rhonda to make the air and hotel arrangements for them. He had her confirm the air for two, hoping Blair would be able to travel with him. Now that the travel plans were underway, he could talk to his lover.

*******************

Blair sat in his office while he listened to the rhythmic music played in the background. A fellow TA had just left his office. She had tried to coerce him to join her on a mid winter trip to San Diego. He recalled her words.

*** 'Aw, c'mon, Blair. We'll have fun. Sun and sand in the daytime, margaritas and me in the evening. What do you say?'

Without any thought he tried to tell her that he could not leave with her, that he was otherwise occupied.

'C'mon Blair. Whatever it is can wait a week. You'll see, we'll have fun.'

Blair reflected on his response to her. 'Jenny, I know you'll have fun but I can't go with you. I, ah, have plans for the week.'

'Plans,' she purred, 'with who? Haven't seen you with anyone except that cop you ...' She paused, looked at and tried to read Blair's expression. 'My, my Blair. You and that cop? You've got to be kidding me! He's a - a '

'He's my best friend, Jenny. You go ahead and draw any conclusion you want from that.' Blair gestured towards his door. 'Now, I have some papers to grade before break, so...'

'I'm going. I'm going. Have a good break with your, ah, friend.' Jenny smiled at Blair as she turned to leave the office. Without looking back, she added. 'If you ever feel the need for female companionship, let me know.' ***

Blair shook his head as he closed the door. He walked behind his desk, turned on his cd player, adjusted the volume, heard the leather crunch as he settled onto the chair, put his feet on his desk and contemplated his relationship with Jim Ellison. They had decided not to tell anyone, if only to keep Jim safe at the station. Closed societies like the police force were not that welcoming to gay officers. Blair understood that and agreed with his love to keep their relationship a secret. They had not been together as a real couple for more than a month, so he was willing to just enjoy the newness of the affection they felt for each other.

The young teaching fellow's eyes were closed and therefore he did not notice the visitor that opened his door. He was lost in the thoughts of his lover and the music when he felt something pushing on the bottom of his shoe.

"Sandburg...Sandburg..." the voice prodded along with the tapping on the shoe.

Coming aware again, Blair opened his eyes to behold the man of his dreams. "Jim, what's up?" The teaching fellow rapidly removed his feet from his desk and started moving papers around the desk. "Were we supposed to meet?" he asked as he continued moving papers on his desk. "I can't find anything reminding me..."

"Hold up there, Chief!" The sentinel smirked. "You didn't forget anything. We didn't have plans and before you ask, my senses are fine." Ellison walked behind the desk then smoothly lowered himself to be seated on the desktop, facing the younger man. "In fact, my senses are always fine," he added as he gently stroked Blair's cheek with the back of his hand, "when you are nearby."

Blair leaned into the touch. He loved all the gentleness that this big man offered. How could anyone ever NOT want to be with him, he wondered, as he enjoyed the touch. Oh well, he thought, their loss, my absolute gain! "So, what do I owe for this unexpected, yet very pleasant surprise?"

He put both palms on each cheek, held the beloved face to look at him while he still stroked the cheekbones with his thumbs. His face solemn, "I need to leave town. I have to go to DC. I ..."

Worried, Blair interrupted. "...You aren't leaving without me mister," he assured. "It's spring break this week. Please Jim, you have to..."

Jim put a single finger over Blair's lips, instantly quieting his guide. "If you would've let me finish, I was about to ask you to come along. I need to help a friend from back in my service days. I, ah, well, I owe him." Jim removed the finger from the lips of the now stilled man.

"Whatever you need, man, I'm there. Like I said, its spring break. I can leave as soon as I grade these last two papers. When are we leaving?" Blair knew Jim would eventually tell him why they were taking this trip. The sentinel had a calling to help others and Jim Ellison was the type of person to always repay his debts or simply help out a friend in need. Blair trusted Jim. It was that simple.

"Rhonda is booking the air for us right now and arranging for a hotel. I'll go home and start packing for us." Ellison let his eyes rake over the body of his lover. "I pretty much know what you like to wear by now, so I'll pull out your stuff too. Then I'll..." Ellison's cell phone rang at that moment. He stood up, grabbed the phone from his belt, hit the speak button and answered, "Ellison.....yeah....ok....red eye, huh?.....No, no that's fine. Thanks Rhonda!" Jim hit the end button on the phone and returned it to his belt. "That, as you probably figured, was Rhonda. She has us on a red eye flight tonight. Leaves at 11:30PM tonight and arrives there at 8:30 AM local time in DC. That gives us about eight hours to finish what needs to be done here and go to the airport. Can you do that, Blair?" As he finished, he bent over and kissed the top of the curly headed teaching fellow, then simply held the man in a gentle embrace.

Blair rested his head on the tall detective's shoulder and wrapped his own arms around the man that he would follow to the very ends of the earth. "Yeah, can do, but you'll have to get out of here so I can concentrate on these papers." Reluctantly he released his hold. "Jim, the sooner I finish here and you finish packing for us, the sooner we can take a few moments for ourselves. You know..."

Ellison also released his arms but placed his hands on the shorter man's shoulders. "Yeah, 'you know' would be great before we leave. Plane trips are so hard on the senses so a little 'afternoon delight' would be just what the sentinel ordered." Leaning over he again placed a chaste kiss among the curly locks. "Get busy Chief. The Ellison airport shuttle leaves in eight hours.

"Ok already. Leave so I can finish!" Blair made sweeping motions with his hands, dismissing the older man.

After the detective left the room, Blair whispered, knowing his lover would still be listening to him. "Love you, Jim. See you soon."

Ellison could only smile which left the passing students to wonder what caused the usually stern looking man to suddenly look so...happy.

 

********************

It was now past 9:30am in Washington, D.C. as the pair from the state of Washington pulled out of the car rental lot. Breaking the silence, "Rhonda got us a room at the Embassy Suites in downtown DC. Should be well located to meet up with LJ," Ellison remarked.

"Does LJ know we're coming?" Blair laid his hand gently on Jim's thigh, slowly moving his hand around the firm muscles.

"No, not exactly, I didn't email him back, but I think he knows me well enough that I'd be here as fast as I could." Jim rested his right hand over Blair's, grasping it tenderly. "If I haven't said it before, thanks for coming. I don't know what LJ needs, but I feel better with you by my side."

Blair blushed at the compliment. It wasn't as if Jim never praised him. On the contrary, Jim was always making note of something he was doing and commenting on it, letting the pride in his voice always be heard. Flattering remarks were something Blair Sandburg, child genius, never heard from his mother, or anyone else, as he grew up. At long last he felt a sense of worth when his partner would shower him with accolades on his latest feats.

"Where else would I be?" Blair squeezed hand over his own.

"Nowhere else, if I have anything to say about it," Jim replied smiling. He returned his hand back to the steering wheel. "Traffic in DC is crazy," he said in explanation.

They pulled up to the hotel. The valet immediately approached and opened the driver's side door. "Welcome to the Embassy Suites."

"Thanks. We're going to check in and then we need to get over the NCIS offices. Can you let us park the car nearby?" Jim asked the attendant.

"Yes, sir. Just pull over to the curb up there. That area is reserved for those guests checking in."

After parking in the temporary area, the two men from Washington, entered the hotel. Jim stopped abruptly after entering the lobby. Blair looked around at the vast atrium of the hotel.

"Whew! Cool place! Look at all the greenery on each floor."

Jim remained still and silent.

Blair gazed up at his partner's face and noticed the signs of the zone out he was experiencing. "Oh man, Jim. This is not a good time or place for this. Come on Jim. DC has wa.a.a.y too many military people walking around. We so do not need their attention," he whispered. Blair rubbed and surreptitiously pushed on Jim's back to encourage him to move further from the entry area. Satisfied they no longer stood in front of the doors, Blair continued to stir the sentinel out of his zone. After trying all the tricks he usually used, he was about to call for help when a man with salt and pepper colored hair approached them.

Before Blair could say a word, the stranger put his hand on the sentinel's shoulder saying, "JJ, just like old times."

Jim shook his head as he started to take in his surroundings. He could smell the fragrance of his lover's shampoo and saw him standing, dumbfounded, staring at the next person he saw. That person had a hand on his shoulder, a smirk plastered on his face and a heartbeat he had not heard in many years.

"LJ!" Ellison wrapped his arms around his friend then stepped back. "Guess old habits are hard to break around you!" Ellison drew Blair close to him. "This is my friend and partner, Blair Sandburg."

"Good to meet you. If JJ calls you a friend and partner, that is high praise. I'm Leroy Jethro Gibbs, LJ to JJ here but most people just call me Gibbs." He extended his hand which Blair gladly accepted.

"You must be good friends with Jim, I mean JJ, 'cuz he dropped everything to come out here for you," Blair surmised aloud.

"He saved my life, Chief. Guess that makes him a real good friend."

Gibbs observed the two men then remarked. "Found you today just the same way I did in '87. Some things never change. Does Blair know you, um..."

"Oh yeah, he knows," Jim smiled. "He knows all about me and those 'black outs' you used to call them. I'll tell you later."

Blair gawked at Gibbs. "You know about Jim's, ah, zones, I mean black outs?"

Before Blair could get a full head of steam questioning his friend Ellison suggested that they check in and move the conversation somewhere else.

"Good idea," Gibbs agreed. "Check in and then we'll go to NCIS. Lots of good places to converse there, privately."

******************************

Once they entered the conference room, Blair practically exploded with questions from how did they meet to how did Gibbs save Jim's life.

Jim summarized their meeting as a time they were both at Pensacola. He was getting ready to ship out on a transport and Gibbs was a SP at the time. Something caused Jim to zone, he didn't remember what, but it was Gibbs pushing him out of the way of a jeep that drew his attention back to reality.

"Jim, it makes sense now, excuse the pun," Blair suggested. "But maybe you were, you know, slowly coming online, and LJ's presence triggered something. Maybe he was supposed to be your true gui..."

"Stop right there buddy. LJ does know something is different about me. Heck, ask him yourself. He thought at first I was on drugs or drunk or something that day. But he believed me that I was clean. We started to talk and he figured..."

" 'He' can speak for himself you know. I am standing right here," Gibbs interjected. "Yeah, I started talking with JJ and could see he was clean. The more we spoke the clearer everything seemed to be for him. He said the sun was too bright, but it was a partly cloudy day. He could clearly see the birds on the pier, but we were over a half mile away. He said I was talking too loud...Ok...that might have been true. I tend to be loud by nature. Still, I could tell JJ's senses were out of whack."

"But the strange thing was," Jim continued the story, "I didn't notice the senses until that day. I think I heard his heartbeat. That might have been what I zoned..."Jim noticed the questioning look on LJ's face, "...zones, what we called 'black outs' back then.."

Blair leaned back in his seat, the chair creaking as he moved. Jim had another guide that helped him suppress his senses until he had them reawakened in Peru, he thought. A thought suddenly occurred which he immediately expressed, "You zoned today on Gibbs' heartbeat. He is a guide. He was your FIRST guide. I guess for a sentinel," Blair paused to explain to Gibbs. "Sentinel. That's what Jim is called from all the studies I've done. Anyway, maybe like a first kiss. You never forget it. So Gibbs was your first guide and your senses have never forgotten that either. That's why you zoned in the lobby. You .."

"I sensed my guide. Blair, I..."

"It's okay, big guy. It's fine. It's like I said. You never forget your first, well, anything. I'm still your guide."

"I'm a ...a .. guide?" Gibbs queried.

"I'm Jim's guide. I sorta watch his back when he is using his senses. I help ground him so he doesn't get lost and zone in the sense he's using at that time. I also help him to understand how to use them in tandem like riding sight on sound. In fact there was this one case..."

"I'm a guide."

"Yeah, I just said that," Blair agreed. "As I was saying, there was this..."

"No, I mean right now. Don't look at me like that, Sandburg. I don't mean to JJ here either. There's someone on my team, that I, well, I think is a sentinel, like JJ."

Silence blanketed the room. Blair's mind was going a mile a minute. He's met another guide that knows of another sentinel. Plus, whoever and wherever this sentinel was, the feeling of another sentinel nearby, unlike Alex, did not seem to bother Jim. "That's why I asked for help, JJ. You're the only person I know that would understand and believe me about the person I think is like you. I bring him out of those 'zones' and help him concentrate, but ..."

"Blair and I can help, believe me, we can help"

 

end part 1  
 

* * *

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters and settings are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No money is being made from this work. No copyright infringement is intended.  
  
This story archived at <http://www.squidge.org/peja/cgi-bin/viewstory.php?sid=33407>

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fandom(s): Sentinel x-over NCIS

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First time writing with NCIS characters...be kind. Not beta'd. All errors are mine! Feedback welcome and encouraged--on or offline (between the *** is memory recall)

 

Guide Squared by Travelin

Chapter 2

* * *

  
     
Tony DiNozzo's head rested against the soft leather of his office chair. He was certain his boss had entered the building but he had not seen him - yet. He let his mind wander in search of his boss even though he knew Gibbs did not answer to one Anthony DiNozzo. Strictly speaking, he only answered to the director - but that was only when it worked in his favor. Gibbs admittedly was technologically challenged, but his mind was faster than any super computer ever built or imagined. Tony marveled at the man. He could stare down a suspect until the person finally confessed to the crime yet the next minute become very open while he spoke with a lost child. Of all the skills the former gunnery sergeant possessed the one that Tony DiNozzo appreciated the most was his sixth sense in knowing when Tony needed support, both emotional and physical.

Lately Tony thought he would be in need of some physical support. There were times he would be so completely focused on the computer screen that he could see individual pixels. He didn't tell anyone about that. They already noticed that he could pick out license plates much further away than anyone else. He didn't want to draw any more attention to himself. The day Kate was killed, Tony recalled, he was distracted by the sound of trigger release immediately before Kate was fatally shot. Would Kate still be alive if he had not been distracted? If he had reacted to the sound of the discharge instead of looking for the origin, would she still be alive? What good is it to hear or see better than others if it won't help save a life?

Tony sat up straight. He heard his boss and mentor enter the elevator. He was not alone. Damn! He had to talk to Gibbs, alone. He had to tell him he was loosing his confidence. He had to leave NCIS before his negligence would hurt another agent. He had not been able concentrate on his job after he found Gibbs shot by Ari. He had lost himself in the sensation of kissing Voss even while knowing he had broken all the rules of surveillance. Why? Why was all this happening to him? Every time he thought he couldn't bear one more annoyance, Gibbs was there, speaking to him, touching him, affirming him. Should he resign from NCIS? Yet if he did, that would mean he would be leaving Gibbs. Would he also be leaving a piece of himself? Without Gibbs, without him nearby, would he-

"Tony."

The world turned slightly on it's axis then righted itself as Tony focused first on his boss, then on the two strangers on either side of him. 'Not again,' Tony berated himself. He was so inwardly centered, he did not hear the trio approach. 'Maybe I won't have to resign, Gibbs may fire me first.'

"Yeah, boss," Tony answered aloud. "Sorry, must have drifted off." Tony regretted that phrase the moment it left his lips.

The strangers glanced at each other behind Gibbs' back. Tony thought he could hear the shorter man's breathing rate increase. The tall one seemed almost - defensive. Tony's headache, which had been plaguing him all morning, started to fade as Gibbs put his hand on Tony's arm. The tall stranger seemed surprised by something between DiNozzo and Gibbs. Tony had no idea what could have happened that was so astonishing. Tony always felt better when Gibbs was around. DiNozzo would gladly add that to the list of rules Gibbs was always reciting. 'Well, rule #13 is to never go anywhere without Gibbs nearby. Yeah, rule thirteen, well, ruled,' Tony mused. With a slight grin on his face he looked up to see faces staring at him.

"What? I have something between my teeth? What?" Tony retorted defensively.

The shorter stranger smiled while the taller one moved even closer to long-haired man. Tony closed his eyes as all his senses seemed to calm themselves. He usually felt calm when Gibbs was nearby, but this other man....

"DiNozzo!" Gibbs slapped the back of Tony's head gently. "Stop staring, it's not polite."

Tony shook his head, like a dog shaking the water off their body. "I wasn't..."

"You were," Gibbs knelt down on one knee in front of DiNozzo holding both arms of the chair. Softly, he continued, "You were, but it's okay. These are friends.?" Pointing first to the tall man then the smaller man, Gibbs continued. "Tony, this is Detective Jim -JJ- Ellison and his partner Blair Sandburg. It, ah, seems we have something in common with them."

Tony looked straight ahead into the blue eyes of his boss. Gibbs wouldn't lie to him, but what would two federal agents have in common with that mismatched duo. "Okay, I'll ask. What do we," pointing his finger between himself and Gibbs, "have in common with them?"

Again the bigger stranger, Ellison, now that Tony knew his name, moved, only this time he moved and stood directly in front of Sandburg. "You and I have a lot in common, DiNozzo. LJ told me about you, about your really good vision, about--"

Grabbing Gibbs' shirt and pulling the man up as he rose, Tony exploded. "You told a stranger about... about..."

Gibbs clutched Tony's wrists holding them steadily until Tony released the shirt. Putting his hands on either side of the young agents face he calmly remarked, "Not a stranger. Already told you that. Let's go to conference room. You need to hear what JJ has to say."

Relishing the feeling of Gibbs palms on his flushed cheeks, Tony nodded mutely.

"Good." Gibbs released Tony's face and turned to the pair silently waiting. "Follow me."

Gibbs led the way down the hall to the conference room. Tony was certain that Sandburg and Ellison were talking about him and looked behind himself to be sure. 'Like deer caught in the headlight of a car,' Tony ruminated, 'I caught them talking about me and they know it! Wonder what kind of training they're talking about.'

They all sat facing each other at the table in the conference room. Gibbs sat next to DiNozzo and Ellison and Sandburg sat on the opposite side. Gibbs being secretive-normal. Gibbs allowing Tony in on the secret-not common. Gibbs revealing a secret-unheard of! Whatever this was about, Tony was pretty sure it did not concern NCIS. In fact, the whole situation reminded him of an old television series, The Twilight Zone...

"DiNozzo!"

"Yeah, Boss. I'm listening but not sure I'm..."

"DiNozzo. Just shut that mouth of yours and listen. The short and sweet version of the story between me and JJ is that I met him while in the service. He was Army, but I didn't hold that against him. I, ah, helped him one day--"

"-Saved my life. More than just helped, LJ. Tell the story right or I will," JJ interrupted.

"Fine. I pushed him out of the way of a jeep. You have to understand, Tony, that the driver was laying on the horn to move JJ out of the way, but he just stood there. I was pulling SP duty, heard the horn, saw JJ standing, holding his ground. I pushed him out of the way just before the jeep went by."

"That's a nice story, Boss, but what has- Wait. He didn't hear the horn?" Tony stared at JJ. "You didn't hear the horn? Why? Were your ears stuffed, were you ..."

"DiNozzo. I was zoned, you know, out of it, on a sound. Just one sound. Nothing else mattered. Something about that sound demanded my full attention. I still can get that way then I only hear, see, smell, taste or feel one thing. Nothing else matters."

"Nothing else matters...." Tony repeated softly. Looking at his boss, "How long did you know I was having," pausing for the right word, "difficulties. I try to concentrate but sometimes I go off task. Lately..."

"You know, before we too deep, I'd like to give you a little background about ourselves," the young man interrupted. "As LJ said, my name is Blair Sandburg. My partner here is a detective with the Cascade, Washington police, Major Crimes Unit. I work with Jim and also teach at the Ranier University. My major is anthropology. It was due to my field of study that I even met Jim." Blair reached across the table to touch Tony's hand.

"No!" Jim reached to stop the movement of the hand. "No, Blair, no. We'll help, but I couldn't bear..."

Blair beamed at his partner. "I'm with you, Jim. Full partnership. Not looking for anyone else. But, you're right. Not my job. We are here to help LJ and Tony." Looking again at the bewildered NCIS agent, Blair continued. "Jim and I are here to help you become a true sentinel and guide team, just like Jim and me. That was my field of study, sentinels, people with a special genetic background that have enhanced senses. Anyway, Jim was reluctant-"

"-hostile, Chief, let's be honest here."

"Right, hostile when I first introduced the idea of possessing enhanced senses. He thought I called him a caveman and took offense at that. Shoved me up against a wall shelf in fact. But once we started working together, he saw how his senses were helpful on the job and not a punishment from hell."

"My senses don't bother me," claimed Tony, "they're fine. I don't think I'm this genetically enhanced person you think I am. Hell, ask my father, he'll tell you there's nothing special about me."

 

Gibbs placed his hand over Tony's where it rested on the table. "Tony, your father is not a source to measure yourself against. He may never have physically abused you, but you were mentally abused in that household. I'm just glad you turned out as well as you did."

Tony blushed at his boss's kind words. Gibbs was not acting like, well, Gibbs. He also noticed that Gibbs' hand had not left his own. Tony felt so good at this moment. His body buzzed as if it was in perfect harmony. His headache was just a bad memory.

Without flinching or moving Tony looked intently into Gibbs eyes and asked, "What kind of tests do they want to do on me? I don't think either one of them is a doctor and personally I always trust people with the word 'doctor' in their title and a sheepskin on the wall. No offense to your friend here but I don't think they're qualified--"

Jim and Blair smiled at each other. Hearing test - check.

"Tony, Tony," Gibbs playful retorted, "what these men are lacking in diplomas on the wall they have made it up in spades with experience. Listen," Gibbs lightly held the hand under his own, "Mr. Sandburg,-"

"-Blair, please."

"-Blair and I have something in common. We're both guides to a sentinel. Jim is the sentinel he watches over, and, you...you're my - dammit, I watch your six. But I'm going to receive some training too. I'll need to help you take those senses you have and already seem to use very well and hone them to a fine tool. A tool you will have so finely tuned that after awhile you'll be able to ride one sense on the other." Gibbs noticed Tony's smile as he patted the hand under his own. "What's so funny DiNozzo?"

Tony was not fazed by the sudden change of mood radiating from his boss. "Gibbs, I don't need training. As you've noticed I already see, hear, smell, touch, and taste quite well, in spite of my Dad's feelings on the subject."

As Gibbs and Tony argued about the need for training, Blair and Jim pushed away from the table and exited the room. Jim was sure Tony could hear him, if he wanted, but with Gibbs keeping him busy, Tony would not be able to listen to them as well.

"Jim, his homelife -the similarity between your two fathers- is simply uncanny! When he said his dad-"

"Yeah, I heard too, Chief. Still he does seem to have very good control of his senses. Maybe-"

"I agree. He grew up using them. Seemed the natural way of things to him. Didn't know at the time other people couldn't see or hear things as far away as he could. Still, c'mon Jim, get with the program. He needs to learn to use them when *he* wants to use them, not when his body decides it will allow him to use them. Right?"

Jim leaned over and softly kissed the forehead of his guide. "Right."

"Jim, was that," pointing to his forehead, "such a good idea in such a public place? Might I add a FEDERAL public place?"

"Oh ye of little faith! I listened first...no one around." Jim tilted his head to the side then straightened again. "Okay, it's show time! LJ convinced him to let us give him a demo of what I can do. Here they come."

The door opened as Ellison stepped away from the doorframe he had been leaning against. "You want a demo, DiNozzo? You got it."

"You - you heard that?" Tony stuttered.

"Ya think, Tony? What have we been telling you for the last 30 minutes? You two are these sentinel guys and Blair and I are your backups, covering your six. Got it?"

"Yeah, I got it boss," Tony affirmed as Gibbs lightly cuffed the back of Tony's head.

"Hey, what was that for?"

Gibbs' smirk filled his face as he strode down the hallway with the rest of the group in his wake. Gibbs knew where they could test JJ. Tony would be a believer and then the training would start.

 

end part 2  
 

* * *

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters and settings are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No money is being made from this work. No copyright infringement is intended.  
  
This story archived at <http://www.squidge.org/peja/cgi-bin/viewstory.php?sid=33407>

 


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fandom(s): Sentinel x-over NCIS

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First time writing with NCIS characters...be kind. Not beta'd. All errors are mine! Feedback welcome and encouraged--on or offline (between the *** is memory recall)

 

Guide Squared by Travelin

Chapter 3: 

 

* * *

  
"I've always wanted to come back to the DC area," Sandburg remarked  
to his partner as they climbed the steps of the George Washington  
Masonic Memorial in Arlington. "Mom and I came here once years ago,  
but her whole 'anti-establishment' viewpoint made the visit short.  
She just -"

"I can imagine there was not enough sage in the world that could  
clear up all the bad auras she was seeing," Ellison smirked. "I'm  
amazed Naomi would even come into the capital area at all! Her free  
spirit simply doesn't fit with all the rigorous politicking that  
goes on around here." Jim reached and held his partner's hand as  
they stopped on the landing midway up the long staircase.

Blair looked down at the joined hands. They could not be open in  
their relationship at home, but here, a few thousand miles away,  
where no one knew them, Blair loved his partner's desire to be  
close. Here they could express their feelings openly without  
condemnation or incrimination. Blair squeezed Jim's hand in approval  
and gazed into the deep blue eyes that seemed to sparkle as the sun  
reflected off them.

"I'm sorry we can't do this at home, Blair, but..."

"-but here we're safe from prying eyes, right?" Blair's smile  
radiated up towards his partner as he reached up and placed his  
hands around his partner's neck. Jim wrapped his arms around Blair's  
waist. No words were exchanged, none were needed. The kiss between  
the two men was warm and loving. Blair allowed his fingers to gently  
comb up the short soft hair of his lover.

"Ah, excuse me - JJ?"

Jim slowly released the kiss licking his lover's lips before finally  
turning his head to the newly discovered sentinel.

"Don't mean to interrupt, well, I do, but, I don't mean to be-"

Blair looked up into Tony's eyes. "It's fine Tony. It's just that  
back home no one knows that Jim and I are more than partners at the  
office. So, we were just enjoying the freedom that anonymity  
provides."

"I, ah, understand. The whole 'don't ask-don't tell' thing. Hell,  
even if you do want to tell, you shouldn't be ostracized or  
condemned because of it. When did it stop being a free country  
anyway?" Tony turned to watch Gibbs approach the group. He had  
parked the car and was only now catching up with the others.

Blair noticed the way Gibbs advanced. He tapped Jim on the shoulder  
to have him also observe the connection between the two men. Jim  
smiled as he saw Gibbs totally focus on the young NCIS agent. These  
two already seemed to be 'in sync' with each other, Ellison  
discerned. Now it would only be a matter of training the guide to  
help him fine-tune the senses that Tony already naturally controlled.

Gibbs proprietarily rested his hand on Tony's shoulder. "So Blair,  
you're the expert here. What do we do?"

"Well, LJ, you picked this place. Why did you think it would be  
beneficial for us to come here?" Blair and Jim released their hands  
but not before Gibbs noticed they had been joined earlier. Ellison  
put his arm around his guide's back and drew him closer.

Surprised, but not bothered by the interplay between the two men  
from Washington, Gibbs replied defensively, "I thought between the  
views that we could have from this vantage point to test for vision,  
the surrounding gardens for..."

"-No, don't get me wrong. I'm not unhappy with your choice at all!  
This is great. You're right about the vision acuity tests. I'm sure  
Jim and Tony will be able to distinguish the names of some of the  
boats out there on the Potomac. Maybe even see if Tony can use his  
hearing to listen to someone at the Metro station over there and  
then ride his vision to pick that person out of the crowd. Walking  
around the gardens we can test for smell as well as touch. We, ah,  
already tested his hearing."

Tony glared at the shorter man at that comment. "When did you-" He  
paused as he recalled hearing the two men talk about him back NCIS  
headquarters. He thought he had caught them unsuspectingly but "-you  
were testing me back at the office. Very clever." Tony turned  
slightly to face Gibbs. "Well, Boss, you ready to start guiding  
this 'probie' sentinel?" he simpered.

"I'd like to test his vision right now," Blair barged in. "Tony, I  
want you to focus about a half mile away. I don't want to push you  
too fast. LJ, I need you to keep touching Tony somewhere. I see you  
already have a hand on his shoulder. That's fine. Jim and I find a  
hand placed in the small of the back or a little higher works very  
well too."

LJ looked curiously at the experienced guide. "I'm not complaining,  
but why do I need to be touching Tony while he is using his senses?  
He's used them lots of times before and I haven't touched him?"

"Well, LJ, it's to keep him grounded and not zone out on one sense.  
You know, like how you found Jim that day you met. Until now, I'd  
say Tony has used his senses freely and comfortably, but he hasn't  
extended them very far beyond his immediate environment. Is that  
true, Tony?" Blair hoped he had theorized correctly.

Tony continued to feel Gibbs hand resting squarely on his shoulder.  
It felt so good, so right he... He realized the other men were  
looking at him, again. "What? I was just thinking! I was not zoned!"

"Sorry Tony, not used to seeing you think," Gibbs retorted with a  
smile and a slight squeeze around the back of Tony's neck. "You  
didn't answer the man's question, DiNozzo. Have you been using your  
senses in a tighter environment than what we are testing today?"

"Yeah, oh, yeah. I got headaches when I stretched out too far, so I  
stopped trying." He glanced at Sandburg. The man was practically  
bouncing with excitement.

"This is great! I don't mean your headaches, but that you could use  
them up close at least and all this time without a guide. But to  
extend them, you really do need a guide. Ok, ok, let's begin."

Tony picked out street signs and license plates as he slowly  
extended his field of vision until he was reading the names of some  
of the ships in the harbor. The further his field of sight expanded,  
the lower Gibbs hand went down his back until it finally nestled  
into the small of the new sentinel's back.

Blair watched the two individuals slowly meld to a working unit.  
They were naturals at working together and would only improve. "Hey,  
guys, this is great, but it's starting to get late. Let's try  
hearing. Tony, concentrate on the voices from the Metro stop down  
there. Pick one out and tell us what they are saying. Jim-"

"I know Chief, listen for that voice after Tony tells us what they  
are saying, right?"

"Yeah, right, but I also want you to let your sight find the speaker  
by riding sound back to the source. Then I'll have Tony do it too.  
This is great, man. Two sentinels to test!" Blair beamed with  
anticipation.

"Tony, this is the bad part. Once your guide determines he is going  
to run tests, you have no life for that day. It's 'smell this'  
or 'taste and tell me' and my all time favorite 'zone out the light  
and listen to the music'. Sometimes you feel like a trained seal!"  
Jim slapped his partner on the back and looked directly into his  
lover's eyes, "-and I wouldn't have it any other way."

Blair blushed at the compliment. Jim would sometimes say the nicest  
things at the most surprising times, which was just fine with him.  
It kept their relationship alive and fresh that way.

"If you guys can stop staring at each other, I found the person to  
listen to," Tony interjected. "It's a male voice, by the sound of  
it. I'd venture he's in his late twenties - early thirties."

Gibbs, without removing his hand from his sentinel's back, moved  
closer to the younger man until the back of the one and the chest of  
the other man were almost touching. He then whispered into Tony's  
ear, "How do you know from listening the age of the speaker."

Tony's faced flushed as the warm air washed over the side of his  
face as his boss whispered in his ear. "I, ah, that is, well, it's  
the timbre of the voice. The vocal cords, the vibrations per second,  
all that, I guess. Well, I don't know why, maybe..."

Ellison found a few male voices in that range. "I found a few  
speakers fitting that description Tony, what is your subject talking  
about."

"Oh, yeah, he's---" Tony tilted his head in concentration.

Blair saw Tony tilt his head in the same manner as Jim. 'Must be a  
sentinel thing,' Blair mused.

"-talking about some garden party at his house tomorrow. No wait, a  
party in the garden at the White House. Whoa, think I'll leave that  
conversa-"

"Tony, quiet," Ellison stopped his rambling immediately. "I hear a  
man, like you had said earlier, mid-thirties, only he said he left  
something here, at the memorial. Wait, -"

Tony started to listen for the same speaker. Gibbs started to slowly  
draw circles Tony's back.

"I've got him, JJ - he's..."

Blair spoke softly to Tony. "Let your sight ride your hearing so you  
can see the speaker."

Tony nodded in understanding until, "Oh my god, Gibbs."

"Tony, you and Blair go to the Metro station and see if you can stop  
the guy," Jim ordered. "He's alone. He was talking on his cell  
phone. Blair, let Tony take the lead, he has the gun and the  
credentials. Gibbs, you and I are going into the basement. Seems  
someone planted a bomb down there. It's going to go off at 4:25,"  
Jim looked at his watch, "which is about ten minutes from now."

Blair grabbed Jim's shoulders to spin him around to look at  
him. "Jim, don't send me off with Tony! You need-"

"-a guide," Ellison finished. "LJ is a guide. He's also a Fed and he  
can get us where we need to be in the building. Meanwhile, you can  
guide Tony. Tony knows what the guy looks like and which direction  
he is planning to take the train."

"Tony, call it in to Homeland Security and Fornell. He'll just love  
this," Gibbs directed as the four men started to move away from  
their original partners to form new pairs. "Be careful, Tony." Gibbs  
suddenly felt the need to- no, no time now. Later, when this was  
over. When he could do it right. When he could tell Tony how he felt  
about him.

"Yeah, Boss, you too. I ...yeah, you too."

"Blair, stay close to Tony and stay safe, love."

"Love you too. See ya soon." With that Tony and Blair bounded  
down the stairs to run over to the Metro.

Tony was on the phone calling the necessary agencies as they ran.  
Blair was panting as they approached the station. Tony jogged up  
the steps to the station taking them two at a time while Blair was still approaching. Blair heard the sirens approaching. Tony was coming  
down the steps with the suspect cuffed.

Homeland Security arrived first. Tony handed over the suspect and  
briefed them on what he knew at this point. He also informed the  
officers about what his boss and Blair's police partner were doing  
at the memorial. He quickly summarized the situation for the  
authorities. Minutes later he and Blair were on their way back up to  
the memorial when the ground rumbled. They saw the three hundred and  
thirty-three foot memorial stand firm, but heard glass shatter as  
many of the antique stained glass windows blew out.

"JIM!" Blair screamed, his mind frozen in fear.

"Jethro, no, god no, Jethro," Tony pleaded as he fell to his knees.

Then there was silence.

* * *

 

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters and settings are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No money is being made from this work. No copyright infringement is intended.  
  
This story archived at <http://www.squidge.org/peja/cgi-bin/viewstory.php?sid=33407>

 


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fandom(s): Sentinel x-over NCIS

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First time writing with NCIS characters...be kind. Not beta'd. All errors are mine! Feedback welcome and encouraged--on or offline (between the *** is memory recall)

Guide Squared by Travelin

Chapter 4:

**Author's Notes:** The search for Gibbs and Jim since the explosion continues.

* * *

 

Blair stepped around the debris carefully as he approached the building. He heard voices behind him, yelling, shouting, perhaps at him. He wasn't certain. He had only one thing to do, find Jim Ellison, hold him and never let him go. Finally he felt a hand on his shoulder, impeding his movement. Blair turned sharply around ready to insist to be released. He closed his mouth as he looked into the sad eyes of the new sentinel.

 

"Blair," Tony pleaded softly. "What do I do? How can I find them? There must be something I can do to - to-"

 

Blair stretched his arm to rest his hand on Tony's shoulder. "I'm sorry. I was only thinking of Jim and, well, I'm sorry." He gathered himself together; he knew the sentinel in front of him needed guidance. "Okay, yeah, there is something you and I can do, as a team. We'll need to really push your senses to find Jim and LJ.  I'll tell you what to do and work on keeping you grounded while you --"

 

"Tony!"

 

"McGee, over here," DiNozzo shouted. "That's McGee. He's on Gibbs' team along with Ziva and me. She's out of town though, so you won't have to meet her."

 

Blair nodded in understanding. Just as he and Jim had Simon and the members of Major Crimes to back them up, Tony and LJ had their support. They had their team to help them through both the good and bad times. This, he mused, was definitely a bad time. If - no, Jim had survived! He couldn't dwell on the negative. In fact, no time to -

 

"Sandburg? You ready to move up? The engineers have looked over the site and they say it will hold - at least for a little while. What do I do?"

 

"Sorry, right. Thanks Tony." Blair turned to the other NCIS agent. "Mr. McGee-"

 

"Tim, please."

 

"Right, Tim, I need you to keep the people away from Tony and myself. We're going to be - well, we just need people to stay away." Not knowing if McGee knew about Tony's enhanced senses, he did not believe he should be the one to disclose the information.

 

McGee merely nodded and walked towards the line of rescue personnel and curious observers. Blair marveled at the instant acceptance he received from the young man. The tribe was protecting its' guide and sentinel, just as the guide and sentinel would protect the tribe. He couldn't wait to tell Jim-

 

"Jim," Blair whispered. "We're coming. Please -"

 

Tony tapped him on the shoulder. "Blair, the sooner we get going, the sooner you can talk to him, face to face. I have a lot I need to tell Gibbs. Just hope I have a job when...when I tell him-"

 

"Don't worry," Blair assured as the duo walked carefully around the broken glass up the long steps to the memorial, "he knows."

 

Tony stopped, a foot on each step. "He - he knows?"

 

Blair gently placed his hand on the sentinel's back to keep him moving. "For a guy with the super senses, you sure miss some of the easy stuff. I saw it in his eyes when we were separating, before the-" Blair swallowed noticeably, "-the explosion. When we find them, you two need to discuss your changing relationship."

 

"Ya think?" Tony smirked.

 

They finally reached the top step and entered the building. "Here's a good place to stop now Tony. I need you to listen. First, I need you to control the level of your hearing. Try to imagine an old fashioned radio with the volume dials," Blair encouraged. "Do you see dials?"

 

Tony closed his eyes, searching his mind for dials. "No, damn it. Nothing!"

 

Blair stared at Tony. If he couldn't control the sound, he couldn't filter the extraneous sounds out, he couldn't turn up the sound on the one sound they need to hear - heartbeats.

 

"No, wait. I don't see dials, but I see slide bars, like a computer's volume control. Oh, this is cool!" Tony was caught up in the moment until he realized the importance of his discovery. "Okay, yeah, I have sliders, now what?"

 

"Oh man, this is great. Well, let me tell you the goal. I need you to listen for their heartbeats or breathing. Either one would be, well, you know. What are the gradations on the slide bar to determine the levels of the volume?"

 

"Um," Tony squeezed his eyes in concentration. "Ah, looks like, yeah, numbers. If I move it to..." Tony suddenly put his hands over his ears and fell to his knees.

 

Blair saw the pain and gently spoke to Tony while he rubbed his back and encourage him to move the slider in the opposite direction. As look of pain slowly receded from Tony's face, Blair also noticed the muscles under his hand also relaxed.

 

Tony glanced up shyly to the guide's face. "Guess I know now which way increases the volume, huh?"

 

"Yeah, guess so. You ready to continue. I wouldn't press except-"

 

"Press, it's what we need to do. Okay, what next?"

 

"First I need you to put the volume at a middle level on your slider. Next, just listen and take in all the sounds. Don't worry about separating them out yet. That'll come."

 

Tony stood up next to Blair but did not move away from the guide. He knew he was going to push his senses beyond anything he had ever tried to do before and instinctively felt that the only way to do that was with the guide's support.  Blair continued to give directions to Tony until all he heard was the guide's words washing over him.

 

"Tony, now I need you to let your hearing go below the floor to the basement. That's where the employee said he last saw," Blair drew a deep breath, "last saw them with the curator. He said the curator was trying to find the right key to open the door and LJ was picking the lock when the curator found the key. That's when the employee left and -"

 

This time it was Tony that supported Blair. "We'll find them, Blair. We will. Right?"

 

Blair agreed with a small nod. He cleared his throat, swallowed and continued. "Right, we will. Ok, concentrate. Listen for the sound of a heartbeat, or air being exchanged in the lungs." Blair slowly moved his hand up and down Tony's arm. A few minutes went by when Blair noticed how still the NCIS agent had become.  "Tony? C'mon man, don't zone on me. Tony?"

 

"Blair?" The sentinel's face said more than any words could express. Tears welled in the corners of Tony's eyes. "Blair - I - can't hear anything. Some shifting sand, the building creaking, but -"

 

"No, Tony, try again," Blair pleaded. "He's got to be there, he's got to be," he whispered.

 

"I've tried, Blair. Don't you think I tried? That's Jethro down there too, ya'know! I..." Tony retorted, his hand over his heart. "I feel like a part of me -"

 

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry..." Blair hugged the distressed sentinel. He glanced around Tony and noticed McGee's approach. Wiping his own tears away as Tony did the same, they both watched McGee until he stopped a foot in front of them.

 

"Um, guys, the rescue workers really need to start before the structure becomes unstable. They want to put supports around the lobby area before they start looking for -" McGee paused and glimpsed briefly at Tony before he continued. "Is it true, Tony? Is Gibbs really -" Tim could not bring himself to finish the sentence.

 

"Yeah, Tim," Tony confirmed, "he's down there. I can't hear him or Jim Ellison, a friend of his that went down there with him. I tried, McGee, I did but-"

 

"Tony, I believe you, I do," McGee interrupted. "Let's allow the rescue squads in now, Tony. They'll find Gibbs and his friend-"

 

"Jim. His name is Jim," Blair interjected. "He's my partner. He's my-"

 

"Right," Tim agreed, "so let's get out the way and let Search and Rescue do their job and find Gibbs and Jim." Tim managed to steer the distraught man outside as the rescue teams swarmed the building. He saw the command post set up at the bottom of the steps and encouraged his teammate and his friend down there. Already ambulances had pulled up to help with any injured found in the search.

 

Tony walked back and forth in front of the tent as he waited for news when finally the radio crackled to life. They had found someone. All they could reach at this time was a hand and wrist. There was no pulse.

 

Tony's mouth was dry as he asked, "Can you find any ID on the victim?"

 

"No," crackled back through the radio. "It's the right hand. Did either man wear anything on that wrist?"

 

Tony looked at Blair as he shook his head. Tony clicked on the radio and replied, "Gibbs had a bracelet there. Something from his father. The other man did not have anything on his right wrist."

 

Both men held their breath as they awaited the response from the person on the other end of the radio. "Gentlemen," the voice said quietly, the static even quieting in seeming respect for the message to come, "it appears there was never anything on this man's wrist. I'm sorry."

 

"NO!" Blair screamed. "No, it can't be Jim. I don't feel him missing.  I don't..."

 

 Tony opened his arms and the short guide sought out refuge from the only person that truly understood how he felt. Blair allowed the tears to fall, hugging the sentinel as they fell. Tony rubbed Blair's back. "At least you know now Blair."  

* * *

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters and settings are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No money is being made from this work. No copyright infringement is intended.  
  
This story archived at <http://www.squidge.org/peja/cgi-bin/viewstory.php?sid=33407>

 


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fandom(s): Sentinel x-over NCIS

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First time writing with NCIS characters...be kind. Not beta'd. All errors are mine! Feedback welcome and encouraged--on or offline (between the *** is memory recall)

Guide Squared by Travelin

Chapter 5: 

 

* * *

  
Blair pulled out of Tony's embrace. "I have to see him, Tony. I - I ..." 

Tony looked up the slope to the entrance of the Memorial. For a moment, he became totally focused on the events taking place near the doors. He closed his eyes to remove any visual interruptions and delved further into the activity that was taking place. He gradually removed all the other sounds except for the rescue worker's voice that had been the earlier contact.

 

' _...face has been crushed. I don't know if his own family could recognize..'_  The sound of speech from the rescue site started to fade as the new sentinel heard a different voice that demanded his attention. There was something about the voice that spoke of safety, of family, of home, of ....

 

"Oh no you don't Tony! C'mon, listen to my voice. Feel me touching your arm, man! You will _not_ zone out!" Blair intonated. "Please man, I can't lose - "

 

Tony opened his eyes, blinked as if clearing them then returned his gaze back to the worried guide. "I'm okay, I'm good."

 

Blair continued to slowly rub Tony's arm. "Yeah, you're just fine. One minute you look up at the Memorial building, the next minute you're auditioning to become another statue in DC."  
  
Tony shook his head vehemently in denial. "I have no intention of - ." Calming down Tony continued. "Ok, maybe I stretched a little beyond -"

 

"- a little?"

 

"-a lot beyond my comfort level, and yours obviously, but I had to know what was going on at the top. To see if they finished," Tony placed his hand on the shorter man's shoulder, "if they finished uncovering Jim."

 

"Well, did they?"

 

"They did but-" Tony felt his hand fall away from the guide Blair starting running up the hillside. "Blair! Wait!" Tony knew Blair needed to see Jim, but from what he overheard, he wasn't sure Blair was ready to see Jim's crushed body. He reluctantly ran after Blair but was surprised how far ahead he was even after the short lead he was given.

 

Blair almost literally ran into McGee who then escorted him the rest of the way up the slope and past all the security points using McGee's NCIS ID.The body was on a gurney outside the large double doors to the Memorial. All the Search and Rescue workers had returned to the site to find the other body Blair assumed. McGee put his arm over Blair's shoulders. Blair pinned his vision to the body bag.

 

"I heard Blair. I am so sorry for your loss," McGee sincerely offered as he felt the body under his arm noticeably begin to shake. Blair turned to McGee and let his cheek rest against the NCIS agent's chest. Tim used his free hand to rub the anguished man's back. "I'm so sorry, Blair," he repeated quietly. McGee felt Blair nod against his chest.

 

Tony arrived to see McGee comfort Blair. He quietly asked McGee, "Did he," pointing at Blair, "look at ..." Tony could not finish the sentence. The remains in the body bag were crushed, perhaps beyond recognition based on the piece of conversation he overheard.

 

McGee silently mouthed 'no' to Tony to which his muscular frame visibly relaxed. Tony would hate to have the last vision the young man had of his partner to be that of his crushed body. Tony was about to insist on Blair returning to the command tent when the Search and Rescue supervisor, Vig Petrolli, stepped out of the damaged building.

 

"Are one of you the one who thought you knew the victim here," he asked understatedly. "We could use and ID before we send him to the morgue."

 

Blair turned abruptly from McGee, his face pale. "I, um, I know him -knew- him," Blair whispered. "Let me-"

 

"No!" Tony and McGee yelled simultaneously. Tony started to pull Blair towards himself. He felt compelled to protect this man, if only from himself.

 

Blair knocked away the approaching hand. "I will look, Tony. I have to look to convince myself that he is really, that the spirit is no longer there."

 

"Wait, please," Tony implored. "I 'heard' that he, well, he probably won't look-" Tony looked at McGee for support. Maybe McGee could make Blair understand that looking at the body right now would upset him more than he may be prepared to undertake.

 

"Tony's right, Blair. Jim was under a lot of rubble. He-" McGee stopped as Blair held up his palm towards him to stop him from continuing.

 

"I know what I'm doing," Blair assured quietly. "I will identify Jim's body so that we both will be able to move on."  Blair approached the gurney while Vig unzipped the bag and flipped back the corner to reveal the head. Blair gasped audibly while rapidly moving backwards, practically knocking McGee backwards.

 

"We're here for you, Blair." McGee patted the distressed man's shoulder. "Tony, I'll take Blair back to..."

 

"No, I'm not going anywhere!" Blair shouted, moving away from McGee. "Th-that man," Blair gasped, "is n-not Jim!"

 

Tony peered over to the gurney and definitely agreed with Blair. The man on the gurney had to have been in his late 60's, certainly not Jim Ellison. This meant....

 

"I told you! I told you I'd feel it if Jim, well if Jim died." Blair's energy level suddenly spiked. "I'm sorry for the relatives of this man," Blair remarked to Vig, "but he is NOT Jim Ellison. Jim and LJ are still down there! Your people, they are still looking, right? Still digging," Blair prodded.

 

"The more they dig, the more the stairwell fills. We can't get down there without risking the crew." Vig noticed the panicked expression on the young man's face. "Oh, we will get down there, when we can shore up the walls, but that takes time. The way our engineers have figured it, based on the fill in the stairwell, and size of the basement, that if they weren't crushed by the initial avalanche of debris, then the lack of air would..."

 

"No, I don't believe it," Blair interrupted. "I would know. Jim is not dead. I'm not giving up, even if I have to do the digging by myself!"

 

Vig grabbed Blair's arm as he attempted to enter the building. "I can't let you do that. It's not safe." Then softly he continued, "I know how you feel. Really. But I just can't let you enter that building."

 

Tony stared at the SAR supervisor as an idea developed. "Okay, so we can't dig from here. Fine." Blair turned his head sharply at Tony, disgust written on his face. "Hold on Blair."  Tilting his head back to Vig, he continued. "Isn't it true that all these Masonic Temples and therefore their Memorial have secret rooms and tunnels? Isn't it possible that they are in one of these passageways and all we have to do is find where the passageways egress -"

 

"-and then we go in that way and find them!" Blair concluded.

 

"Probie-" Tony started.

 

"I'm on it already. I'll check the city plans, the Memorial building plans. If there are tunnels, I'll find them Tony," McGee replied, finally allowing a blossom of hope to grow. Perhaps they will find Gibbs alive which would be the best outcome. However, now that the team is an active participant in the search, the process can only improve.

The muffled ring of a cell phone had McGee and Tony look at Blair. Only then did he realize it was his phone ringing. Blair grabbed the device from his pocket with one hand while he brushed away the hair from his ear. He opened the cell phone, noticed the caller ID and smiled.

 

"Hi Simon," Blair remarked before giving the caller a chance to say anything. His grin turned flat as he listened and occasionally interrupted the police captain from Cascade. "Yeah, we are. --- Jim is -- No, Simon, really. I've got some friends," he continued as he looked at Tony and McGee, "here. One of their people -- Right -- Okay, Simon, I will. I'll let you know if anything changes...and Simon," he paused, "thanks. -- Good-bye."

 

Blair closed the phone and returned it to his pocket. "That was Simon Banks, Jim's boss in Cascade. He heard on the news about the explosion and figured, somehow, that Jim and I would somehow be mixed up in it. He wanted to come out and help, but..."

 

"...but you told him you had support and..." Tony blurted.

 

"Yes, we would handle it but would keep him in the loop. So...," Blair looked at McGee, "are you still getting the plans?"

 

"Plans? Plans! Right! The phone call, I, um, right, no excuse. Tony," McGee continued as he turned to DiNozzo, "I'm going to the command center to request those plans and research the rest. I'll be back..."

 

"Back in 30 minutes or less, Probie. There are two lives at risk here. It's been over 2 hours since the explosion." Tony rested his hand on McGee's shoulder. "I've seen you do more in less time. Now, move it!"

 

McGee smiled briefly in thanks for the unaccustomed support from the senior agent then left for the command center at the base of the Memorial.

 

"You know," Blair mentioned as he paced watching the SAR teamwork inside the Memorial, "Jim and I had a case that put us in tunnels created by the Masons, well, actually I believed the Illuminati at the time but--"

 

"Short version, Blair, please. McGee will be back soon," Tony butted in. "In fact, lets head down to the command center. McGee will have the info soon and we can head out and find the other end of the tunnel. Then..."

 

The two men stopped midway down the slope, turned and faced each other. Blair spoke what they both wanted to believe. "...then we'll find them, hold them and never let go."

 

Tony nodded. There could not be any other acceptable outcome.

 

TBC

 

 

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Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters and settings are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No money is being made from this work. No copyright infringement is intended.  
  
This story archived at <http://www.squidge.org/peja/cgi-bin/viewstory.php?sid=33407>

 


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fandom(s): Sentinel x-over NCIS

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First time writing with NCIS characters...be kind. Not beta'd. All errors are mine! Feedback welcome and encouraged--on or offline (between the *** is memory recall)

 

Guide Squared by Travelin

Chapter 6: 

**Author's Notes:** Permission to archive: Yeah, sure, you betcha!  
  
Rating: FRM  
Summary: Conclusion.

  
Notes: Not beta'd. All errors and omissions belong to me and I still don't share well  
Thanks for your patience. RL put me behind in everything, including this story. I know there were many ways to take this, but I took it this way.  
Acknowledgments: KSL...thanks!

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Part 6  
  
Everything hurt. He was certain not a square inch of skin had been left uninjured due to the detonation of the bomb in the small enclosed cellar room. His hearing had been turned up in order to locate the bomb. He tried to turn it down before the blast but was not entirely successful. The detective from Cascade still experienced ringing in his ears but his substitute guide was able to help him regain some control in spite of the physical discomfort. He and LJ needed all his senses to work in order to conduct them out the tunnels they found as they escaped the area of destruction.  
  
LJ leaned against the wall, brushed dirt out of his short, salt and pepper colored hair then slapped the hand against his pants. He rested his hand on the sentinel's shoulder. "How's the headache? Do you need more of a break?"  
  
Ellison let his head dip forward then shook his head slowly as if that small movement caused great pain. "No. I'm good. Just a little...achy. We need to keep going. Blair probably thinks I'm...we're dead. I hate to think what he is going through. I know how I would feel if the places were reversed." Jim looked up LJ noting the blood on his forehead had started to dry only to leave thick, cracked, jagged lines to run down the left side of his face. "How are you doing? Your vision any better?"  
  
"I still see more than one of you, if that's what you're asking. Hell though - that's better than the not seeing I was doing right after the explosion. Probably have a concussion or some such thing," he assured. "If you're good to go then, let's move out. Tony'll be in charge and I -- I..."  
  
"Don't you think Tony will do a good job leading your team? Do you think his personal feelings --"  
  
"--personal feelings? DiNozzo? For me?" LJ objected. "No, I know he'll do a good job. He's a very good agent. It's just-" LJ stared at Ellison.  
  
"-it's just what, LJ? Man, I can't believe I'm saying this, but when you see DiNozzo, tell him how you feel. Just TELL HIM, ok?" As Jim started to walk down the dark hallway, Gibbs reached out and grabbed a piece of the ripped up shirt.  
  
"When did you become so in touch with your feelings?" Gibbs teased as they slowly walked. Gibbs needed to hang onto Ellison's shirt and walk behind him since the tunnels were pitch black. If it had not been for Ellison's sentinel vision, they would have been truly lost.  
  
When they first started to find their way through the maze of tunnels, it was only due to Jim's sense of smell that they were able to determine which direction to turn. Jim still sensed fresh air, so they continued to follow that trail. After a couple of hours, Ellison stopped abruptly, turned silently and put a hand over LJ's mouth.  
  
"I hear voices. Not sure who they are, but one of the heartbeats belong to Blair," he rasped into the NCIS agent's ear, "and his beat is elevated. He's scared-" Ellison started to walk towards the beloved sound of his lover. He had to help, had to find...  
  
LJ held tight and pulled back on Ellison's ripped shirt. Anger flared from the sentinel as his progress to his guide was impeded.  
  
Gibbs whispered sentinel soft, "Can you tell why he's scared? Is he - or Tony - hurt? Listen!" Gibbs implored.  
  
Gibbs did not by see Ellison's nod, but since Jim no longer struggled to move forward, LJ assumed his request was understood. Ellison felt the guide's touch on his back, so he continued to stretch his hearing further down the tunnels. After a few minutes, the sentinel gently pushed Gibbs away from the voices so they could speak.  
  
"We've got company, and it isn't just Blair and Tony. Seems our rescuers need to be rescued. These tunnels were storage places for some local gunrunners. That was the reason for the bomb in the first place. An opposing gang wanted to put them out of business by blowing up their stash. Well, we know how that went. Now the first group is down here prepping to move their cache to a new location. Blair bumped into one of their guards. They have him standing, facing a wall. They don't have Tony and so far I haven't noticed his presence," Jim cautiously expressed.  
  
"You don't think Tony is-"  
  
"-No," JJ interrupted. "I don't think so. The other men have not implied any other intruders beyond Blair. Before you say anything, LJ, I also don't believe Tony sent Blair by himself. Tony is probably staying hidden using his senses to stay out of reach of -"  
  
Jim turned abruptly as he heard soft footsteps behind them. He pushed Gibbs down as he lowered his own body to stay low and out of the vision of -  
  
"Tony!" Ellison whispered softly. He started to stand again, bringing Gibbs up with as he grabbed the guide's elbow.  
  
Gibbs shook free of the hand, stood up and was ready to ask what he heard when he saw a light coming directly towards him. Behind the light he could see the face of the man bearing the flashlight. "Tony," Gibbs breathed relieved.  
  
"Boss," Tony smiled, "you look pretty good for someone that was locked in a cellar with a bomb."  
  
Gibbs whacked the back of Tony's head then remarked, "I'd look a whole lot better if we could exit this tunnel."  
  
"Ah, there's a gun runner gang holding Blair, Boss, so it will take just a little longer to get you out of here. But let me say-"  
  
"Gentlemen," Ellison interjected, "talk later, save Blair now. Thoughts?"  
  
"Well, there are four gang members down here. There's a passage around where the cache is stored, which is how I got around them just now," Tony imparted thoughtfully. "They are located in the middle of a donut shaped area, passages on either side of them that we can use to sneak up on them to take them out. There are guards on either side of the passage directly into and out of their storage area where a man is posted, leaving only two with Blair and they are packing the weapons onto carts."  
  
"Good report Tony," Jim commented. "I think, LJ, it's best that Tony and I do the stealth work, taking out the guards, since we can move around without the flashlight." Tony handed the flashlight over Gibbs. "We'll then move onto the two by Blair and -"  
  
"-and I'll be there waiting for you with Blair. Sounds like a plan. Let's move." Gibbs started to move then whispered to Tony, "Be careful, Tony. We need to talk."  
  
"Right Boss. Careful. Good safety thought," Tony remarked glibly.  
  
"I mean it DiNozzo!"  
  
"Right Boss. Safety is the word of the day. You can count on me," he whispered, turned and left Jethro Gibbs.  
  
The two sentinels had no difficulty subduing the guards. They approached the men loading the carts and noticed Gibbs holding a gun on the two gang members while Blair sat, relaxed, on the dirt floor.  
  
Ellison called out to Gibbs and Sandburg to advise them of their approach. Blair pointed his flashlight in the direction of the voice. He stood, waited, then finally Jim's face entered the beam of light.  
  
"Jim!" he bellowed. "Oh man, am I glad to see you." Blair ran into the open arms of his sentinel.  
  
Jim grunted from the pain of Blair's joyous and strong hug. Hearing the groan, Blair immediately released his injured lover. Jim reached out to his guide and pulled him gently into his arms again. "That's good, Chief. I'd rather feel you touching me right now than worry about a couple of aches."  
  
Grinning ear to ear, "You too, man, you too," Blair agreed as he lightly laid his head on Jim's shoulder.  
  
Tony cleared his throat. "Guys, this homecoming is very heartwarming, but I believe I hear the rest of the search party coming this way." He stepped over to Gibbs then whispered, "I'll be ready for that talk when you are Boss, count on it," Tony assured.  
  
Gibbs never let his eyes leave the men loading the cart. "I'm holding you to that, DiNozzo."  
  
***********************  
  
Hours later, reports written, wounds tended to, the four men returned to the hotel where they first met.  
  
Blair plopped into the chair. "I don't know what to do first: shower, eat or sleep. It's a toss up!"  
  
Jim walked up behind the chair, gently massaging his lover's shoulders. "I have a thought. How about I call for room service, *we* take a shower, wait for the food to arrive then eat in bed?"  
  
"Ah, Jim, we have company," Blair commented hesitantly, pointing at Gibbs and DiNozzo. "We can't just..."  
  
He moved his hands into the curly locks of his guide, "Let them get their own room, Blair."  
  
"Ok, ok we can take a hint!" Gibbs smirked. "Let's go DiNozzo. Time for that talk."  
  
"I'm ready, Boss." Tony reached out and cupped Gibbs' chin. Jethro's eyes widened at the touch, then relaxed again as Tony's thumb stroked his cheek.  
  
"Wait a second," Gibbs asked as he stepped out of Tony's touch. He took two quick steps to the desk, picked up the receiver and placed a call. "Yes, I need to make a reservation - for tonight - yes, 1 room - yes there will be two adults"  
  
Tony walked over to the desk and stood close to Gibbs as Jethro continued to talk on the phone.  
  
"- I would prefer a king bed. - Yes? Great. We'll be there for the key in a few minutes." Gibbs hung up the phone and looked at Tony. "Is that all right with you Tony? Guess I should have-"  
  
Tony put his palms on Gibbs checks, drew the man close to him and kissed him thoroughly until Tony finally had to come up for air. "Does that answer your question, Boss, ah, Jethro?"  
  
"Yeah, Tony, that answers my question. I also think that was the conversation we were supposed to have."  
  
"That's fine with me. There's already too much talking going on if-"  
  
Gibbs pulled Tony to himself, wrapped one arm around Tony's waist while the free hand went behind Tony's head and gently pushed Tony's lips to meet Jethro's. The two NCIS agents never heard Jim place the room service order or leave the room.  
  
"Do you think they'll notice we're not there anytime soon?" Blair inquired as they entered the elevator.  
  
"Maybe," Jim contemplated, "when the food arrives. Hope they like steak. Got them some strawberries-"  
  
"-and whipped cream?"  
  
"-and whipped cream for dessert. Now all we have to do is pick up their key, go to the other room and pick up where we left off." Jim assured.  
  
The elevator stopped and they exited the cubicle. Blair smiled knowing he and his love had many more nights together, a lifetime and then some. Blair tugged on Jim's arm. "Hey, next time you want to help a buddy, can we bring back up from the PD?"  
  
  
*The End*

* * *

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters and settings are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No money is being made from this work. No copyright infringement is intended.  
  
This story archived at <http://www.squidge.org/peja/cgi-bin/viewstory.php?sid=33407>

 


End file.
